Golfball retrieving device



Jan. 24, 1967 B w ET AL 3,300,241

GOLF BALL RETRIEVING DEVICE Filed Sept. 17. 1963 EDWARD J DERDER/AN INVEN7URS M Y'M FRANCIS D. EBERWEl/V A TTORNEKS United States Patent Ofiice 3,300,241 Patented Jan. 24, 1967 3,300,241 GQLFBALL RETRIEVIN G DEVICE Francis D. Eberwein, 1821 Calaveras, Fresno, Calif. 93721, and Edward J. Derderian, 4514 N. Wilson, Fresno, Calif. 93704 Filed Sept. 17, 1963, Ser. No. 309,479 2 Claims. (Cl. 294-19) The present invention relates to a ball retrieving golf club and more particularly to such a golf club which permits golf balls to be lifted from a green or fairway without stooping or bending.

During a round of golf, a golfer frequently must retrieve his ball from the ground between fairway shots and always after putting on each green. Such lifting of the ball requires that the golfer bend, stoop or kneel from his normally erect position. This is difficult for many golfers and impossible for others having physical handicaps, being of advanced age or the like. Also, frequently the ball comes to rest in a gulley, beneath a bush, in a pond or in other inaccessible positions. Such ball positions are usually unplayable, requiring the golfer to retrieve his ball and drop out with a one-stroke penalty. If the golfer cannot retrieve the golf ball, it is declared lost even if he knows its position which imposes a twostroke penalty. Accordingly, it is highly desirable that the golfer be able to retrieve the ball for further play with a minimum of penalty strokes.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ball retrieving device adapted to lift a golf ball from the ground without stooping or bending.

Another object is to provide a ball retrieving device having a retractable ball gripping member for dependably holding a ball and which is actuated with a minimum of effort.

Another object is to provide a ball retrieving device having such a gripping member which readily releases the ball when desired.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will subsequently become more clearly apparent upon reference to the following description in the specification.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the ball retrieving device of the present invention having a head portion positioned above a golf ball.

FIG. 2 is a somewhat enlarged front elevation of the head portion of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the head of the device shown holding a golf ball, taken on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the head of the device.

FIG. 5 is a lower perspective view of the head of the device of the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, a golf club embodying the principles of the present invention is shown having an elongated shaft providing an upper handle end 11 and an opposite lower end 12. The club also includes a substantially rectangular head 14 having an integral shank portion 15 connected to the lower end 12 of the shaft. The head also includes a toe portion 16 and an opposite heel portion 17 between which are extended opposite ball striking surfaces 18. The head further includes a top surface 19 and an opposite sole surface 20. The top surface 19 preferably has an elongated sighting groove 22 thereacross in right-angular relation to and extended between the ball striking surfaces 18.

The sole surface of the club head 14 provides a substantially circular pocket 25 centrally thereof. The pocket is defined by a marginal continuous circular side wall 27 which terminates in a domed-shaped blind end wall 28. The pocket is of a diameter somewhat larger than the major diameter of a golf ball 29 so as to accommodate partial entrance of the ball therein, as shown in FIG. 3. An elongated bore 30 is formed longitudinally 1 through the head between the toe 16 and the side wall 27 opening radially into the pocket 25. An enlarged counterbore 32 is formed in the toe 16 in concentric relation to the bore 30. An elongated coiled compression spring 35 is mounted within the bore and has an inner end 36 extended into the pocket 25 and an integral enlarged outer end 37 disposed within the counterbore 32 to provide a shoulder to limit the inward travel of the spring. The counterbore 32 is screw-threaded and receives a plug 40 in closing relation to the bore 30. A nodular friction member 42 is mounted on the inner end 36 of the spring and is conveniently formed of a droplet of lead or other easily attachable, hardened material.

Operation The operation of the described embodiment of the subject invention is believed to be clearly apparent and is briefly summarized at this point. When it is desired to lift a golf ball from a surface such as a fairway, green, or rough, the golf club is held in the usual manner by the handle end 11 of the shaft 10 and the head 14 positioned over the ball with the pocket 25 in registry with the golf ball 29, as shown in FIG. 1. Upon downward movement of the head toward the ground surface, the golf ball is received within the pocket until the major periphery of the golf ball is engaged by the side wall 27 and the friction member 42 of the spring 35. Such downward travel of the head is temporarily halted by engagement of the friction member 42 with the periphery of the ball. Such obstruction is easily overcome by an additional pushing force from the golfer through the shaft 11 to overcome the force of the compression spring 35. Upon such application of force along the shaft 11, the spring 35 is compressed within the bore 30 by the camming action of the ball on the friction member to permit the entrance of the major diameter of the golf ball into the pocket 25. The reaction force against the ball through the friction member 42 and the spring 35 dependably holds the ball within the pocket and tends to urge the ball toward the end wall 28 thereof. After the club head 15 is elevated to lift the ball from the ground surface, the club shaft 11 is easily inverted so that the golf ball is readily accessible to the golfer for removal therefrom. Such removal is easily accomplished by the application of a force substantially tangential to the periphery of the ball preferably in a direction from the heel portion 17 toward the toe portion 16 of the head 14. The application of such force even though slight is sufficient to overcome the reaction force of the spring 35 so that the ball is rotated slightly in a clockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 3, to effect removal from the pocket.

In view of the foregoing, it is readily apparent that the structure of the present invention provides a ball retrieving device which enables a golf ball to be lifted from a playing surface without the golfer stooping or bending. Furthermore, the device of the present invention dependably retains the retrieved golf ball therein until manually removed by the golfer which removal is easily accomplished by a relatively slight pressure tangentially of the periphery of the ball.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A ball retrieving device comprising an elongated shaft having an upper handle end and an opposite lower end; a substantially rectangular head having a top surface and an opposite sole surface, said upper surface having an integral shank portion extended therefrom for connecting the head to said lower end of the shaft, said sole surface having a circular pocket therein including a continuous circular wall circumscribing the pocket and being of a diameter somewhat larger than the major diameter of a golf ball and of a depth less than the major diameter of a golf ball, the head having an elongated bore opening into said pocket; a spring disposed within the bore having an inner end extended inwardly of the pocket; and a ball gripping member mounted on said inner end of the spring for frictional engagement with a golf ball positioned within the pocket and being retractable inwardly of the bore whereby said spring provides a reaction force through the gripping member to 'hold the golf ball within the pocket with a portion of the golf ball extended outwardly from said sole surface of the head for removal of the golf ball from said pocket incident to the application of a force tangentially against said extended portion of the golf ball.

2. A ball retrieving device comprising an elongated shaft having an upper handle end and an opposite lower end; a substantially rectangular head having a top surface, an opposite sole surface, opposite heel and toe portions and an integral shank portion extended from the heel and top surface for connecting the head to said lower end of the shaft, said sole surface having a pocket formed therein defined by a continuous circular wall circumscribing said pocket of a diameter somewhat larger than the major diameter of a golf ball, said wall providing a dome portion spaced from said sole surface of the head a distance less than the major diameter of a golf ball so that when disposed in said pocket against said dome portion such golf ball has a portion outwardly extended from said sole surface of the head, the head having an elongated bore disposed in longitudinally extended relation between said toe portion and the wall of the pocket and including an enlarged screw-threaded counterbore in the toe portion of the head; an elongated coiled compression spring disposed in said bore having an enlarged diameter portion disposed within said counterbore in the toe to limit inward movement of the spring; a plug screwthreadably received within said counterbore to preclude outward movement of the spring from the bore, said spring having an inner end extended inwardly of the pocket; and a nodular ball gripping member mounted on said inner end of the spring retractable within said bore incident to compression of said spring upon movement of the golf ball against the nodular member so as frictionally to hold the golf ball within the pocket, said ball being removable from the pocket incident to the application of a force substantially tangentially against said outwardly extended portion of the ball in a direction toward the toe of the head.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,334,189 3/1920 Swanson 273-168 1,722,519 7/1929 Du Chene 294--99 X 1,960,110 5/1934 Iles 273-162 2,048,061 7/1936 Donato.

2,465,124 3/ 1949 Quattrin 1245 X DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

G. I. MARLO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BALL RETRIEVING DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED SHAFT HAVING AN UPPER HANDLE END AND AN OPPOSITE LOWER END; A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR HEAD HAVING A TOP SURFACE AND AN OPPOSITE SOLE SURFACE, SAID UPPER SURFACE HAVING AN INTEGRAL SHANK PORTION EXTENDED THEREFROM FOR CONNECTING THE HEAD TO SAID LOWER END OF THE SHAFT, SAID SOLE SURFACE HAVING A CIRCULAR POCKET THEREIN INCLUDING A CONTINUOUS CIRCULAR WALL CIRCUMSCRIBING THE POCKET AND BEING OF A DIAMETER SOMEWHAT LARGER THAN THE MAJOR DIAMETER OF A GOLF BALL AND OF A DEPTH LESS THAN THE MAJOR DIAMETER OF A GOLF BALL, THE HEAD HAVING AN ELONGATED BORE OPENING INTO SAID POCKET; A SPRING DISPOSED WITHIN THE BORE HAVING AN INNER END EXTENDED INWARDLY OF THE POCKET; AND A BALL GRIPPING MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID INNER END OF THE SPRING FOR FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH A GOLF BALL POSITIONED WITHIN THE POCKET AND BEING RETRACTABLE INWARDLY OF THE BORE WHEREBY SAID SPRING PROVIDES A REACTION FORCE THROUGH THE GRIPPING MEMBER TO HOLD THE GOLF BALL WITHIN THE POCKET WITH A PORTION OF THE GOLF BALL EXTENDED OUTWARDLY FROM SAID SOLE SURFACE OF THE HEAD FOR REMOVAL OF THE GOLF BALL FROM SAID POCKET INCIDENT TO THE APPLICATION OF A FORCE TANGENTIALLY AGAINST SAID EXTENDED PORTION OF THE GOLF BALL. 